There are many applications where it is necessary to protect electrical equipment from power surges and high energy transients that could damage or adversely affect the operation of such equipment. Voltage surges are commonly perceived to be the most common cause for damage to electrical equipment during operation. Voltage surges, such as those produced by lightning strikes, can cause large currents to flow resulting in damage to operating equipment. Electrical equipment utilizing electronics, such as a rectifier front end, are particularly susceptible to damage. As a result, transient voltage surge suppressors (TVSS) are commonly utilized to clamp the voltage level and absorb energy associated with a transient. However, analysis strongly suggests that there is a fairly high probability that equipment will be also be damaged by current surges that occur at the end of voltage sags. Furthermore, industrial studies have indicated that voltage sags are much more likely to occur than voltage surges. While TVSS devices limit the voltage applied to equipment, they do not limit the current surge experienced by electrical equipment at the end of voltage sag transients.
High inrush currents are also commonly experienced during the starting of electrical equipment. Inrush current limiting circuits, including a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor or resistor connected between a power supply and a protected load and a bypass switch in parallel with the NTC thermistor, are often used to mitigate the current surge seen by the load during starting. A NTC thermistor is a component with a resistance that decreases as its temperature increases. During startup, the temperature of the NTC thermistor is cold and its resistance is high. As operation continues, the temperature increases and the resistance of the NTC thermistor decreases, allowing more current during normal operation. Once the equipment has completed its startup or a preset time has elapsed, the bypass switch closes to remove the resistor from between the power supply and the electrical load. The current limiter circuit remains disabled until the equipment is de-energized and the bypass switch is reopened. While the inrush current limiter circuits limit the current surge during startup, these inrush current limiter circuits do not provide protection from electrical transients during normal operation of the electrical equipment.